Store Data if not Online

[HansenvomDeich]

Hello,

I have a question regarding offline behavior.

Colleagues should use my app in the field. What happens if colleagues don't have LTE or WiFi Connection and want to transfer the data from the app (checkbox and strings)?

Is there an error message that the data cannot be transferred? Do I have to create an error message?

Also the question is whether there is a way to temporarily store this data so that it can be transferred later?

About Pictures i have read that there are Limitations to Store the Pictures and Upload that later, how i can Deal with that when there is no Connection to Upload Data?

Thank you

[v-bofeng-msft]

Hi @HansenvomDeich ,

You could use 'Connection.Connected' to check the network connection. If it returns false, save the data locally(savedata ), if true, then submit the data.

Best Regards,

Bof

[HansenvomDeich]

Hi Bof,

Thanks for your answer.

I have now read that it is better to add each data input to a collection, which I can autosave when .connected becomes false.

The problem I have in my test environment.

For example, if I am in screen 1 (start screen) and I switch off the data connection on the device, and switch to a screen where are dropdown entrys from the database in it, i have no entry in there ... and i see the running dots on the top which will load data, but i have still no connection.

Is there a way based on a SharePoint database, that Power Apps can synchronize everything when the connection is there and I can then see and use this data offline (of course without a data transfer back to SharePoint as long i am offline )?

Maybe i only did not know that there are some settings in power apps, so that i am able to load entire data to device while i am connected, so that i can use also in disconnectet mode all the data which i getting in before.

[dukatz]

Is your dropdown relying on a sharepoint table/column or a local collection? If not maybe try this. As collections are stored locally.

[HansenvomDeich]

Sharepoint is the database from the app and also the transmitted data are going in that database.

For me your solutions sounds like:
1.at startup of the app , get all dropwdown entrys in different collections
2. then in the datacardvalue from edit form control get the Collection as database for items instead of sharepoint database?

Is that a way how to deal with or is that going in more errors as i want?
The edit formcontrol Datacard is based on selected item in a gallery.
can i handle that workaround if i use the collection as database, also when the data come from the selected items in gallery?

[dukatz]

So basically: you try to avoid collections because they get stored on your device. They are great for often used data which isn't to large, like dropdown entries etc. because of less server calls (one every time the control loads, instead of one for creating the collection). But if you are expecting App users to regularly have connection issues it would be the way to go because you can create a local redundancy for your database. 

[HansenvomDeich]

OK, I'll test it.

From what I've researched, a database on Microsoft Dataverse would get around this problem, right?

[dukatz]

I haven't worked with Dataverse yet but it looks like it supports offline behavior. The Blog of Matthew Devaney is a great resource if you haven't already found it yourself: Power Apps Dataverse Offline Mode For Canvas Apps (matthewdevaney.com)